Posterized

This isn't the kind of poster a basketball player dreams of having when he grows up.

As of now Javaris Crittenton says he will turn himself in and says he's innocent. 

Crittenton will be on a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta and should arrive in his hometown "very early [Tuesday] morning," said attorney Brian Steel, retained by family members earlier Monday.



Mr. Crittenton wants to clear his name," Steel told the AJC. "He's innocent of the charges."


I'd rather be on the poster getting dunked on with nuts in the face, than an FBI poster. Really though, no one knows if he's innocent or guilty. We'll have to let the justice system run it's course.

 

Pistons Likely To Get Rid Of Hamilton After The Lockout

There is a lot of uncertainty regarding the NBA lockout and the future of some players. What isn't too surprising is that when or if the lockout ends the Detroit Pistons will resume shopping Richard Hamilton.

This news isn't a surprise to anyone. Hamilton hasn't been the same player ever since Chauncey Billups was shipped to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson. His production has tailed off, but I attribite that to the Pistons' decline. Clashing with former coaches Michael Curry and John Kuester didn't help either. The latter feud landed him an extended role on the bench. Call me what you want but I still feel Hamilton got a raw deal on that one. Of course many of us don't know what happened behind the scenes. At that point and time I probably would've traded Rip for a bobsled.

Some of it is perfromance related, but as I stated before you can tie his lack of production (14.1 points) last season to the team's all around bad performance. Hamilton did act like a spoiled child who figured since he has one championship under his belt that he should be given more respect. Hamilton lost a lot of respect with Piston fans over the last year.

The reason why he hasn't been dealt was because of the ridiculous contract extension Hamilton signed right before Billups was shipped out of town. The contract was a deal breaker but according to a report by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press it might not be as troublesome as it once seemed.

He's owed roughly $21 million over the next two seasons, as the second year is only partially guaranteed. And remember president of basketball operations Joe Dumars has almost traded Hamilton several times when the financial burden was greater.


We'll have to see what happens when the season resumes and see are the Pistons willing to let go of the remnants of the 2004 championship team.

Quote Of The Week: Stan Van Gundy

In light of the Miami Hurricanes scandal, Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy had some disparaging remarks about the NCAA.

“The system is set up for everybody but the kids while pretending to be about the kids,” Van Gundy said. “Athletics and education should be separate. Colleges shouldn’t be farm systems. It doesn’t make any logical sense. But the schools don’t want to be blatantly in the situation of being professional sports even though they already are professional sports. They just want to disguise it, so they hide behind education. But, really, all you want is enough of your athletes to graduate so it looks like that’s what you care about. Anyone around sports knows it is all a bunch of bull [expletive].


I think if you let kids take inducements it would widen the gap between the haves and have nots in college athletics. On the other hand the rules are so archaic and they need to be revised.

One Angry Bear

After not seeing the field against the Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears running back Chester Taylor's days appear to be numbered.

Matt Forte is the unquestioned starter and Taylor was the backup...last year. The Bears went out and signed Marion Barber to give them some more quality depth at the position. What Taylor didn't count on was Khalil Bell coming out of nowhere to steal his preseason carries.

Of course Taylor isn't too excited about it.

"My running backs coach (Tim Spencer) told me after I came out for pregame that I wasn't playing," Taylor said. "He didn't give me no reason or no excuse or nothing. It can't be from the competition because it's hard to get three carries in a preseason game and the other players are getting 13, 14 carries. That's not comparing anything. It's not from production and play."

"Yeah, I'm disappointed,'' he said. "I'm practicing all week thinking I'm going to play. Just for them to come out of the blue and say that, yeah, I'm disappointed."

Some might say that Taylor has talked his way out of town. I think it has more to do with production and his contract. Keep in mind that Taylor signed a four-year, $12.5 million deal last year and produced 112 carries for 267 yards. A mere 2.4 yards per carry. That kind of production will keep you on the sidelines and make the team look for cheaper options.

If the Bears cut Taylor, I believe he could still land on his feet somewhere. Possibly their division rival Detroit Lions, who are still sorting out their options for another backup to Jahvid Best.

JaMarcus Russell Is Paying Off His Debt

When the Oakland Raiders drafted JaMarcus Russell with the number one pick in 2007, neither Al Davis or Russell figured that he'd be out of football, desperate for a tryout. Russell held out to get $60 million guaranteed from the Raiders and then proceeded to go hoodlum and produce three of the worse seasons by any quarterback in NFL history.

Even though Russell is out of football and sitting on scores of hard earned cash (I'm not serious), he is paying off some of his debts.

TMZ reported tha Russell recently paid back a $223,180.05 property tax lien from the State of California. He still is on the hook for the $2.4 million mansion in Oakland that's scheduled to be auctioned off next month. I figure he should have enough to keep the house from going by the wayside, but considering he has no reason to be there he'll probably let it go.

I guess you could call that a silver lining in this black cloud of a football career. Hey JaMarcus, there's still Canada or the UFL.

What Is He Thinking?

Recently Appalachian State has been in the news about the football team making a move up the food chain. Now here's more Appy State news.

Michigan has scheduled them for their 2014 opener for a rematch. Personally this is something the Wolverines should stay away from. We all know what happened last time these two teams met in 2007. 34-32, ball game, thanks for coming.

U-M will pay ASU $850,000 if it's still an FCS program at the time of the game, or $1 million if it's in the FBS, an Appalachian State spokesman said. It is a one-game contract.

“We look forward to facing Appalachian State again,” U-M athletic director Dave Brandon said in a released statement.


Really? What will happen if the Mountaineers come back to Ann Arbor and stun the Wolverines again? There might be a suicide watch group on campus.

Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore welcomes the challenge of trying to knock off one of the titans in college football.

“To have the University of Michigan invite us back is the ultimate compliment for us as a program and a University,” ASU coach Jerry Moore said in a released statement. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to have a new generation of players experience a game day at the Big House and to test themselves against college football’s all-time winningest program.”


I'm going to be a homer and hope that the Wolverines fare better than the last time they faced this group of Mountaineers.




 


  

Reggie Wayne Is Skeptical About Kerry Collins

Peyton Manning's status for the season opener is in question right now due to his neck problem. He could possibly miss even more games if the Indianapolis Colts decide to be extra careful with him. The Colts signed the recently retired Kerry Collins off the scrap heap to have an experienced backup on hand just in case Manning's condition gets worse.

I thought it was a pretty good signing, considering the state of quarterbacking in the NFL.Face it, some of it is flat out brutal. I know Collins isn't the end all be all of quarterbacking, but if the Colts are to remain among the elite, Collins' signing was a must.

Now if you ask Colts receiver Reggie Wayne, he would differ with me. He's not exactly in Collins' corner, but he didn't exactly call him a piece of crap either.

"We don't even know him, we ain't vanilla, man, we ain't no simple offense. [...] So for him to come in here and be the starter, I don't see it. I think that's a step back.



"Who says Kerry's going to be the starter? Just because we bring him in doesn't mean he's the starter. He's got to learn too, right? Unless they gave him a playbook months ago, he's got to learn too. […] He's going to have some studying to do. I'm not sure how he is with the books, not sure about Penn State's education, but he'll have to do some studying. [...]


"I don't care who you are, I mean I'm not going to let anyone just come in here and just push someone aside like you're that dog now, you know what I mean?"

"I don't want to make it seem like I'm not welcoming or having open arms to anybody that comes to our organization," Wayne said to the local media. "If they open the doors for Kerry Collins to come, then that's fine. I can't do (anything) about that anyways. But I'll be damned if we're going to open the doors for someone else, and just drop our heads on who we already have. The Colts are big on protecting their own, so I'm (going to) help protect our own."


Not exactly a vote of confidence for Collins. And I guess some encouraging words for Curtis Painter. Everyone knows Collins is no Manning, but to rip on his education, damn. I guess Reggie forgot where he went to. The U. I'm not knocking their alumni, but their football players aren't exactly known for their academic achievements.  

Luke Walton To Be An Assistant Coach At The University Of Memphis

During this NBA lockout some players are going overseas, some are playing in glorified pick up games to keep their skills sharp, and some (Delonte West) have considered jobs at Home Depot.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton has gone into coaching. According to a report by Jason Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Walton will be named the third assistant under head coach Josh Pastner. Walton played at Arizona while Pastner was an assistant in Tucson. The Walton hiring will make him the third member of the Arizona connection, along with assistants Jack Murphy and Damon Stoudamire.

Walton will be charged with coaching the Tigers' post players. Pastner said Walton will also be involved in recruiting for as long as he's with the Tigers. Walton will remain with Memphis until the lockout is over.

Considering his diminshed role with the Lakers he might just stay there. Pastner does know there is a risk involved since the lockout could end at any time, but he seems very excited about the prospect of having an active NBA player on his staff.

"We're really excited about it," Pastner said. "You're talking about a guy who's played with the Lakers for eight years, has been a part of four NBA Finals, (has) two (championship) rings and has been in the huddle with Phil Jackson, who's arguably one of the greatest coaches in all of sports."


"It is a risk in the sense that the lockout could end at any time, but I felt the reward outweighs the risk," Pastner said. "(Walton) wants to coach. He wants to make a difference. He's really excited about this. He's going to be able to come in and help with the bigs. It's going to be great."

This could pay off big for Memphis in the recruiting department as the Walton name has some credibility in basketball circles. Walton will be in Memphis this week to help with the Tigers' individual workouts. Let's hope he's not a know it all like his father.


  

Tigers Bring Back Brandon Inge

At the conclusion of Detroit’s 4-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Friday night the club announced that they have purchased the contract of third baseman Brandon Inge and have sent outfielder Andy Dirks back down.


As expected, Tigers manager Jim Leyland indicated that Brandon Inge will come in and play primarily against lefties and be a late inning defensive replacement while Wilson Betemit will get the call against right-handed pitchers despite being a switch hitter. No word yet on tomorrow’s lineup but given what Leyland said you can make the assumption that Inge will start at third since the Indians will turn to left-hander David Huff.

I don't agree with this one bit. Inge has been struggling all season and now that he's feasted on some minor league pitching and he's ready to go. The Tigers need to let go of 2006,  move forward.and stop trying to keep the band together.

They just traded for Delmon Young and elected to keep Magglio Ordonez on the roster. And now they trade for Betemit, platoon him with Don Kelly and Ryan Raburn, bring back Inge and send down a functional Andy Dirks. Just to keep Ordonez and Inge on the roster. At some point this team has to get younger, it might as well be now.

Former Miami Hurricane Highsmith Plans To Sue The NCAA

Alonzo Highsmith was one of the greatest Miami Hurricanes and one of the cornerstones of what made the University of Miami football team what it was in recent memory. His son A.J. is now on the team and that team might get hit with the hardest NCAA penalty since the SMU scandal that resulted in the death penalty.

The elder Highsmith is now threatning a lawsuit if the Hurricanes get hit with NCAA penalties coming from the Nevin Shapiro booster scandal. Highsmith's beef in this matter is that the current players shouldn't be penalized for sins of the past or the current 12 players that received extra benefits. I know a lot of former Hurricane greats are taking this hard but this might be borderline ridiculous.

“This lawsuit will be on behalf of all the kids who have done nothing wrong and would be being deprived of what they came to college for,” Highsmith said. “Look at the Reggie Bush situation. Look at what he did to the USC program. All those kids that went to USC for all the right reasons had to suffer the consequences.



“This has been going on for years and years. If someone at General Motors does something wrong, they don’t shut down the company. Nobody ever challenges the NCAA on this. Why? Why?”


“If you have a family and one child does something wrong then he can’t go to Disney World. But you don’t make all of the rest of the kids stay home too.”

“There are at least 70 kids on that team that have absolutely nothing to do with Nevin Shapiro, and you are going to tarnish their image over the actions of a few?



“You want to punish those kids that did something wrong, fine, I understand. But it’s a total travesty to punish the other kids who made good decisions. I’m going to sue if they try to ruin these kids’ college experience. I’m going to sue somebody.”

Well Alonzo, I understand what your getting at here, but if the NCAA let schools get away with illegal booster activity, this kind of stuff would be running rampant. School presidents and athletic directors would have a reason to turn a blind eye to players receiving gifts, money, cars, etc.

Of course Highsmith does have a dog in this fight with A.J. being a member on the team, so it's natural for him to want to see Miami get off light or receive no penalty at all. Sorry Alonzo, but the Canes are going down and they're going down hard.

Jimmy Johnson Takes His Shots At Shapiro

In the aftermath of Nevin Shapiro's damning interview to Yahoo! sports about former and current Miami Hurricanes players receiving improper benefits, it looks like the "old school Hurricanes" are circling the wagons, speaking out against Shapiro.

First former 2 Live Crew frontman, Luther Campbell, a well known Hurricane supporter came out to speak about Shapiro and his shortcomings as a person. Now former Hurricanes boss Jimmy Johnson has some words to say about Shapiro, boosters, and the state of the program.

Former University of Miami football coach Jimmy Johnson called into the "Paul & Young Ron Show" Wednesday morning to weigh in on the allegations of improper benefits involving former booster and convicted felon Nevin Shapiro.


On the "Paul & Young Ron Show",  Johnson called Shapiro a "jock-sniffer wannabe" and offered perspective on a number of the aspects of the story:


On Shapiro: "This little scumbag is in prison for bilking a billion dollars from a bunch of people and obviously he's going to embellish the truth a little bit, but I'm sure he took advantage of some of these kids and I hate it for the program."


On boosters with their own agenda: "These parasites hang around every program and the players have got to be smart enough to know that they want something, that they aren't giving out free drinks to them unless they get something in return."


On current UM football coach Al Golden: "He wants to do it the right way. He's very thorough, very detail-oriented. He's gonna be fine, but I hate that he inherits some of this mess."


On the temptation to student-athletes to accept extra benefits: "A lot of these kids come from the inner-city without a penny to their name and some booster wants to buy them dinner. It's hard for them to say 'no'."


First of all I hate to see this go on anywhere, especially one of the true heavywieghts in college football (I know some will disagree with that). There are some saying that Miami should get the death penalty. That's not gonna happen. I have plenty of reasons why, but not all night to discuss them. I don't see how they shouldn't since there were coaches and administrators that knew what was going on. They might get a bowl ban and loss of scholarships but that's it. I still don't see how the Canes escape with a light penalty. They better hope that Al Golden has the nuts to stick around, because I'm sure he didn't see this coming when he signed up for this job. He was sold a bad bill of goods.

Also, Ohio State might want to start kissing up to Terrelle Pryor, especially if he doesn't get admitted into the NFL supplemental draft. It's always the disgruntled athlete/booster that was promised something and didn't get it or never went pro.

Another thing is with the NCAA. Their rules about improper benefits are outdated. I know college athletes are "special". But I'll use this as an example. If I'm a well off individual helping a kid out because his home life isn't that great and I become influential in his decision on where he goes to college, then I'm giving improper benefits. Just because I let him use my expensive car or take him and his family out to dinner or loan him a few dollars to get by, those are improper benefits. Not everyone wants something in return, they just want to see a kid succeed. 

Don't get it twisted, I don't feel sorry for Miami. They did this to themselves. I know it goes on damn near everywhere, but to be honest it's almost what you have to do to win big in college football. But you know what happens in the end. Miami or some other big name school gets caught and Fresno State goes on probation.

I wonder how many ex-players will speak out against Shapiro.








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Kimbo Slice Wins By KO In His First Boxing Match

Kimbo Slice has gone from a YouTube backyard brawling sensation to a MMA washout to boxer. For Slice's sake (Kevin Ferguson) he better hope this foray into a legitimate sport goes a lot better than his last one.

Well Slice/Ferguson has gotten off to a good start with a win over James Wade by knockout. Wade was not an impressive opponent, he came in at 0-1 with a loss by KO. But remember, Slice's first MMA fight was against a so-called tomato can and he was taken to the limit in his first bout.  



Just knowing that Slice is in the boxing game might get some of the diehards to watch. I doubt it, but stranger things have happened. As you can see he has a long way to go to be legitimized as a contender.

Warren Moon Wants Newton To Start In Carolina

When you draft a "franchise" quarterback there usually is some pressure from fans to start the rookie right away, even if he might not be ready to handle the rigors of the NFL. I'm sure the Carolina Panthers felt that way, especially since their only quarterback with any kind of experience is Jimmy Clausen. They probably didn't need Hall of Famer and Cam Newton's mentor, Warren Moon, popping off about Newton being the starter in Carolina.

“Cam has a chance to start day one just because of where they are right now at the quarterback position,” Moon told Burns and Gambo of 620 KTAR in Phoenix. “No really strong incumbent starter there, and then the fact that they have a new coach, new scheme, might as well start with a new quarterback.”


I can see his point since Clausen is only a second year player with limited experience. But it is a new scheme that neither one of them knows very well due to the lockout, which puts both of them behind the eight ball. Also I wouldn't sell Clausen short. He could give Newton a run but I feel the Panthers will bow to the pressure and have Newton as the starter.

“There is a good chance that could happen,” Moon said. “I just don’t know what the organization’s thinking is right now. Do they want to throw him out there game one of the season or do they want to wait a few games into the season? That’s just a decision that they’re going to have to make, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the day one starter because he was drafted number one overall to be their guy for the future and why not make the future now?”


I know Moon probably knows what he's talking about and has more football knowledge in his big toe than I ever will. I just would like to see the Newton era last more than a few games. Put him in with the first teamers in the preseason and see how things shake out. If he beats Clausen with a superior perfromance, put him in. If the Panthers start Newton just because Moon and the fans think he should be the starter from day one, they'll be in for another long season.   

 

    

Another Bad Investment

You can count former NFL quarterback Ty Detmer among the scores of athletes that have made bad financial investments. The former Philadelphia Eagle and Detroit Lion says he lost $2 million dollars in a scam headed by Kurt Barton, the former chief executive of Triton Financial.

The Austin American-Statesman reports that Detmer was the first witness called Monday. He fought back tears while testifying that he had lost about $2 million since investing with Triton in 2005.



"You lose money, that's one thing," Detmer said from the witness stand. "But I feel like all I've ever tried to do was just do the right thing."

Prosecutors said the Ponzi scheme ran by Barton targeted former athletes, like Detmer and fellow former Heisman winners Chris Weinke and Earl Campbell. Sounds like he had a thing for former Heisman winners.

Prosecutors said Barton wanted to hang out with NFL players and used money that investors thought was for real estate deals to pay for a luxury box at University of Texas football games, a $150,000 car and family trips on private jets.

The worse part of this is that Detmer met Barton through his church and gave Barton control over most of his savings, taking a penalty for cashing out a $1.2 million annuity because Barton told him he could quickly earn it back.


"I trusted him with everything," Detmer said.


Detmer, who now coaches football at a private school in Austin, said he had to cash out the college savings plans for his two youngest daughters and sell his house.

Locally I know Detmer's name brings up some ill feelings among Lions fans, since he did have a seven interception performance, but this is bigger than football. True indeed the Detmer has earned more than I'll ever see in my life, but he seemed like a good honest man and I actually feel sorry for him. I think he was taken advantage of since he was honest and trusting. I hope he can bounce back from this setback.





 





 








 

Jones-Drew Won't Apologize To Jay Cutler

When Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler missed the second half of the NFC championship game due to a fringe knee injury, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew led the brigade of NFL players ripping on Cutler and calling him soft, a jake, anything that you can say that can insult a player.

Today Jones-Drew says he's not backing down from anything he said about Cutler. Jones-Drew took to Twitter when he learned that Cutler was sitting out the second half with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. I'll say this about Jones-Drew, at least he hasn't went back and said his account was hacked or he reflected upon it after x amount of time and felt he should make amends about the situation. In an interview with the NFL Network, Jones-Drew said he has no regrets.

“I don’t regret anything I do,” Jones-Drew said. “You think about everything you put out there. I’m not going to be one of those guys to say, ‘I shouldn’t have done it.’ Because I did it. I knew what I was doing when I tweeted it. I just didn’t know that many people were following me at the time.”


Asked if he had apologized to Cutler, Jones-Drew said he hasn’t seen Cutler but sees no reason that he would need to reach out.



“I haven’t gotten a chance to, but I wouldn’t apologize because I didn’t do anything wrong, I don’t think,” Jones-Drew said. “I didn’t commit a crime. I didn’t kill anyone or rape anyone or anything like that. I mean, I stated my opinion, and it seems like you get more backlash for that than committing a real crime in some sense. I feel like I didn’t do anything wrong, I just said what everybody else was thinking.”

Jones-Drew didn't do anything wrong. If he hadn't said it maybe someone else would've. I'm just glad he didn't go back on what he said and claimed it was a mistake made by someone else. Clubber Lang would be proud for being a real man in this case. The only thing I might would be disappointed with is when he said that he didn't know that many people were following him.

You're a celebrity/entertainer/athlete, you have more followers than the average person.  


 

  

Michael Irvin: Mayweather Making The Brothers Look Bad

Everyone wants to see a Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather showdown. And ask anyone that Mayweather is ducking Pacquiao and you'll get an emphatic yes from some. That would include NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin.

Irvin is so disenchanted by the fight being put off for various reasons, that he had something to say about it. This might actually make Mayweather take the fight if you ask me.

"I like both of them but I’m telling you right now, I wish Mayweather would go ahead and fight the guy. It makes brothers look bad with all of this running."




After their respective fights against Victor Ortiz and Juan Manuel Marquez, if they both win of course, many would like to finally see them get it on. Boxing and the boxing fans that remain need this fight. The sport is dying a slow death and a Pacquiao/Mayweather bout would give it the shot in the arm that it desperately needs.  

Heat Might Take A Flier On Grant Hill If, When The Lockout Ends

I do believe there will be an NBA season, just like I used to believe in Santa. It might be a shortened season once again but I don't think the players or owners are that stupid to let a season go to waste.

If and when the lockout ends, the Miami Heat will be looking to improve on their current roster. Here's one possibility that would actually make the Heat a more likable team. The addition of Grant Hill. The Heat are looking for a perimeter defender and either Shane Battier or Hill would fit the bill according to a report in the Miami Herald.

If the Heat cannot sign preferred choices Shane Battier, Grant Hill or Tayshaun Prince postlockout, Miami will consider Michael Redd and Tracy McGrady, among others.


If I had to pick out of those four I would take the first three listed above than the last two. For this reason only. Prince, Hill, or Battier don't need the ball in their hands and don't require many shots. McGrady and Redd probably still think of themselves as starter material. I believe both of them could help a team, but not one with Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, or LeBron James on it already.     


 

Stonum To Be Redshirted For 2011

Michigan wide receiver Darryl Stonum was suspended indefinitely in early May after receiving his second DUI offense. Now Stonum will be redshirted for the 2011 season. This came from head coach Brady Hoke.

Even though Stonum would've been in a key contributor for a revamped offense this year, Hoke thought it would be best for Stonum to get his life in order. Now I know all the Michigan State supporters will come out and denounce the decision, but it is what it is. I hear all the howling from East Lansing right now.

Sophomore punter Will Hagerup has been suspended the first four games of the season for undisclosed reasons, and junior receiver Terrence Robinson will miss the season opener Sept. 3 for violating team rules.


This is more than a football decision. Louisville's Charlie Strong made the same decision regarding one of his own players. This is the first major decision that Hoke has made since he's set foot in Ann Arbor.

"While it would be great to have Darryl on the field this season, we feel it is in his best interest and the best interest of our program for him to redshirt," Hoke said in a prepared statement. "Darryl will continue to be an important part of our team and family. He has done everything we have asked him to do, but our number one priority is to help Darryl grow as a person."

"In order to build a championship-caliber culture, you have to be accountable to each other on and off the field," Hoke said. "There are expectations at the University of Michigan you must live up to."



Now we'll see if the other Wolverines will fall in line after Hoke has finally laid down the law.

Matt Forte Considering Skipping Preseason Games

Instead of a training camp holdout, Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte is considering a preseason game holdout if he doesn't get a contract extension done by the preseason opener next Sunday against Buffalo. Forte will practice, but he'll just skip the exhibition games.

Forte is also thinking of his health when he stated that he would sit out preseason games. The turf at Soldier Field has been in lousy condition recently and he wouldn't want to risk injury in a menaingless game without having the extension done. Doesn't sound greedy to me, just smart.

"I've considered not playing in the preseason games," Forte told the Tribune. "But just to make that a fact, and say 'I'm not going to,' I haven't gotten there yet."

"Any time the field is not good enough to practice on that is a concern," Forte said. "There is always a concern with injuries. You can get injured going out to practice.


"I have to talk to coach (Lovie Smith) and talk to Jerry and my agent (Adisa Bakari). We'd have to have a big meeting to really talk about (sitting out preseason games until a contract is complete)."

General Manager Jerry Angelo says there's no timetable to get a deal done, but does say he's "motivated" to get one done.

It would be wise to have Forte happy, since he's one of their biggest weapons on offense. Not saying that he wouldn't give his all, but you want to have a happy Forte instead of an angry one.

Rex Ryan Has No Well Wishes For Shaun Ellis

If you ask New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan,  former Jet Shaun Ellis is the equal to Benedict Arnold. Ellis signed with division rival, New Engalnd, whom Ryan doesn't like. Both players and coaches know that it's a business and when Ellis couldn't get an extension he signed with the Patriots. 

Ryan had this to say about Ellis, according to the New York Daily News' Manish Mehta.

“The fact that he chose them . . . there’s no way I’m going to wish him well. There’s no chance of that.”

Knowing Ryan he probably had a lot more to say than that. I'm not buying that Rex will let this go quietly. This could be another Bounty Bowl in the making. Knowing that Bill Belichick stuck it to him will only intensify this rivalry. This isn't over by a longshot.

Jered Weaver Drops His Appeal, Takes A Shot At Carlos Guillen

Los Angeles Angels Jered Weaver made news when he threw at Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila after Carlos Guillen blasted a home run off him and gave him the evil eye. After that little incident Weaver was suspended for six games. Of course Weaver filed an appeal which he decided to drop, coincidentally after his start Friday night. Isn't this how it always happens.

After dropping his appeal, Weaver took a shot at the Tigers' Guillen, the oft injured second baseman.

When Weaver was asked why he didn't wait to face Guillen next year -- the Angels have no games remaining against the Tigers this season -- Weaver said, "Who knows if I'm going to be able to face him again? Is he going to have a job next year?"

Is this guy a sore loser or what? I would hate to beat him in a poker game or Monopoly. He might shoot me. He should be careful what he says. Although it's a longshot, Guillen could wind up with the Angels next season.







   

Kurt Warner Lobbies For Randy Moss To Think About Arizona

No one really believes that Randy Moss is retired. It's like a myth or urban legend of sorts, like Elvis and Tupac still being alive, big foot, and the yeti. There was the Philadelphia Eagles rumor, which turned out to be all talk. Now there is some Moss talk going on in Arizona.

Over the past two offseasons the Arizona Cardinals have lost Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston. Larry Fitzgerald did his most damage with those two working with him and Kurt Warner at the helm. It owuld seem ideal that the Cardinals would be open to trying to lure Moss to the desert since they do have a void at receiver. Nothing aginst whoever they have now, but I don't think Early Doucet has any DBs shaking in their cleats. I think it would also make Kevin Kolb's transition a pretty smooth one.

Speaking of Warner, in an interview with 620 KTAR’s Burns and Gambo, it sounds like Warner was openly lobbying for Moss to rethink his retirement and come to Arizona.

“I don’t think there’s any question he could help,” Warner said. “I still think there’s something in the tank for Randy. . . . He has a great relationship with Larry Fitzgerald. That could be a huge plus coming to this organization.



“I think a deep threat is something that they need. They need somebody that can stretch the field. As good as Larry is, that’s not the player that he is.”


True indeed, he could help the Cardinals, and they do need someone who can go deep. Problem is there isn't much help on the market. If I were sitting in their front office I'd make Moss an offer he couldn't refuse. I don't know if he'd take it but it's worth a try.

Personally I think Moss is a long way from being done. I just think he's waiting for the New England Patriots to call him and see if he wants to come back there.

Bobby Valentine Is Now In Oney Guillen's Crosshairs

Some people need to just shut up. Oney Guillen might just be one of those people. After attacking Chicago White sox GM Kenny Willimas earlier this season, Guillen now has his sights set on ESPN's Bobby Valentine. If you must know this little feud started on Twitter after Valentine had some unkind things to say about the White Sox.

Evryone knows that Ozzie Guillen is managing the Sox, so Oney being the family loyalist that he is decided to take it upon himself to defend the family name.

Ok so Valentine has never won a World Series like the old man has. But has won quite a few games and a National League pennant. In addition he won big over in Japan, so that has to count for something. All he did was say something that a lot of White Sox fans are probably saying to themselves or on talk radio. That question should be thrown back to oney since all he's done is ride his father's coattails to try and make a name for himself.    

Shaq Being Sued By An Ex-Employee

To make life miserable for a one time employee, Shaquille O'Neal used cops to seek revenge against the man who sided with his O'Neal's ex wife in their divorce case.

Shawn Darling has accused Shaq of hacking into his computer and leaving images of child pornography.


Those allegations -- as well as the names of the police officers and sexually explicit e-mails and text messages between O'Neal and several women with whom he was involved -- are included in the amended complaint of a civil lawsuit originally filed in Miami-Dade circuit court last year.

Darling, who worked for O'Neal between 2007 and 2009 as a technology expert, is seeking damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and civil racketeering.


The suit seeks damages in excess of $45,000.



Well-known as a police buff, O'Neal called on his law enforcement pals to "frame [Darling] for possession of child pornography, have his house stormed by police, have him arrested for it, and have his computers confiscated while he is hauled off to jail as an accused child pornographer," the complaint says.

"O'Neal and his henchmen would stop [at] nothing to get what O'Neal needed," the lawsuit alleges.


Among those police officers named in the amended complaint, filed July 26, is a current sergeant in the Miami Beach police internal affairs division and a former Miami Beach police chief.


Also named is a detective with the Tempe, Ariz., police.

Wow. First being associated with gangbangers and now using cop buddies to frame an ex-employee. Talk about giving someone hell and charging them rent. If there's one message about these wild allegations, it's dont' mess with Shaq.

Braylon Edwards Signs With 49ers

After being shunned by the New York Jets, wide receiver Braylon Edwards has signed with the San Francisco 49ers. Edwards signed a one year, $3.5 million dollar deal with the 49ers.

Edwards announced the deal on Twitter.

“It’s official #Team17 we have moved to the bay. I’m a proud member of the San Fransisco 49ers,” Edwards wrote.


Last season with the Jets, Edwards had 53 catches for 904 yards and seven touchdowns. I would expect that he will be named the number one receiver in San Francisco unless Michael Crabtree steps it up. On an unrelated note, Crabtree just became a fantasy sleeper.

This could turn out to be a good move for the Niners. It all depends on Edwards and quarterback Alex Smith. If Smith can actually get his game on track, it could make the 49ers a darkhorse for the NFC West title. Edwards could help him immensely, only if he can hold on to the ball. After his breakout season in 2007 with the Cleveland Browns, he has been plagued by drops. If he can be cured of that problem and steer clear of any off field drama this signing will look like one of the best bargains of the free agent period. 

LJ Is No Fan Of UNLV

In the aftermath of not even getting a courtesy call for the head basketball coaching job, former UNLV great Larry Johnson isn't too happy with the athletic adminstration at the school.

"I don’t like those Arizona people (AD Jim Livengood came over from the University of Arizona) in the administration and they don’t like me," Johnson said. "It’s not UNLV Runnin’ Rebels no more, it’s UNLV Wildcats right now."


Outside of Stacey Augmon getting a job as an assistant to new coach to new coach Dave Rice, players from the Tarkanian era, most notably from the late 80's/early 90's, are getting the cold shoulder from the Arizona contingent.

"Outside of gambling, we put Las Vegas on the map," said Johnson, who at age 42 is a successful businessman with a 15-year-old son, Lasani. "I was bitter for years at the way they treated us and Coach Tark. The administration looked at us as villains. Tark was like my father. If they messed with him, they messed with me."


I agree somewhat, but Tark put Vegas on the map. They already had a solid program that could compete with the national powers. LJ and crew just took it to another level. They were like the Miami Hurricanes of college basketball. They were looked at as villains, but they were just a supremely talented basketball team.

Johnson had some other things to say about the state of the program,the "Arizona Connection" and how former coach Lon Kruger won him over.

"Kruger gained my respect for what he was doing and the way he was trying to bring back previous Rebels, who had a bitter taste in their mouth with the University for how the Tark situation was handled," Johnson said. "Lon did an excellent job extending the olive branch. I was attending more games, going to alumni banquets and all the alumni golf tournaments. I was getting back involved."

"People all over town, wherever I went, asked me if I wanted to coach," Johnson said. "They wanted me and Stacey, knowing he had been an assistant coach. They had to hire him (as an assistant), knowing they would never consider me."

"It’s all about recruiting and identification with past performers at the school," Johnson said. The administration turned its back on us and consequently players have left for Texas, Duke and other top national programs. Today, I would probably do the same."


I don't know about coach rice, but maybe he could extend the olive branch to Johnson, being an ex-teammate of his. I'm not taking sides, but he was one of the greatest Rebels of all time. Maybe it's time to embrace who brought you to prominence.

Spencer Hawes Says David Stern Makes Too Much Money

NBA commisioner David Stern gets paid. I'm not talking about the him lining his pockets from player fines either. The commish makes $23 million a year, which is a ton of money to sit in his ivory tower and run a sports league.

Philadelphia 76ers center Spencer Hawes thinks Stern is overpaid. Hawes took to Twitter to give his take on Stern's high salary.

I can understand what Hawes is thinking, but he didn't have to say it. Hope he doesn't back down and say someone hacked his account. Also he should hope this doesn't have any future consequences for his career. Not that anything like that would happen, but Tim Donaghy was a referee at one point.